While Verizon gets most of the attention with their $23 billion investment in fiber to the home deployment, a significant chunk of the fiber to the home deployments in this country is being accomplished by roughly 700 smaller rural telcos, co-ops, and municipal operations. According to a new study by the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), a growing number of rural telcos are moving toward fiber to the node (like AT&T’s U-Verse platform), while many others are moving directly to fiber to the home:

NTCA’s “2009 Broadband/Internet Availability Survey” found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents with a fiber deployment strategy intend to offer FTTN to more than 75% of their customer base by 2011. Fifty-five percent plan to offer FTTH to more than half their customers in that same time frame – more than doubled from just 26% last year. The study says that rural areas are seeing significant gains in broadband speeds, primarily due to the increased fiber availability in their communities. Fifty-three percent of respondents indicated their customers can now receive broadband service of between 3 and 6 Mbps (up from 46% last year), and 39% can receive service in excess of 6 Mbps, which is an increase from just 25% a year ago.

According to the most recent data (pdf) from the Fiber To The Home Council, the total number of homes served by FTTH is now 4.4 million, or 4% of all homes. FTTH service now passes (no last mile drop) 15 million US homes, or 13% of all US Households.

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